Pining After You
by Retrobution
Summary: "Are you a pine tree? Because babe, I'm pining after you." Luke keeps on talking to a pine tree that holds the soul of his fallen friend. Except sometimes, all the tree wants to do is just die because of that gods awful thing he calls 'humour.' And in the end, the tree got its wish. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Scarface**

**A/N: If any bad jokes or terrible puns are hard to decipher, send me a PM.****  
**  
Luke knew that Thalia pretended to really really _really_ hate his jokes. But he also knew that secretly, she really really really _really_ loved them. And that was a fact, because the one extra really didn't count for nothing.

So he found himself sitting cross legged in front of the symbolic pine tree, cracking bad jokes because that was all he knew how to cope.

"Well, Thalia can't say I'm not used to you being a big tree. You always were the daughter of the Big Three in the first place."

It was awkward, he realized. There was silence, except for the rustling of the summer leaves bellowing viciously. He decided to act as if that was a good thing, because he patted the tree as if it was being a good doggy before leaving.

* * *

"I skipped Art to be with you, Thals," Luke said, sitting in front of the pine tree. He frowned. "Don't really like art anyways. But you know that don't you?"

The pine needles shook up and down as if a head was nodding. Luke smiled, before glancing down. He stayed that way for a while, mulling his thoughts over.

"Just wanted to tell you about Camp. It's... Well it all depends which cabin you're in. If you're claimed, sure it's all fun and games. Except I'm the son of Hermes and in that cabin the unclaimed campers also stay there and that's like the dark side of Camp, y'know? Annabeth's happy though, but she misses you a lot. But this Camp... It's provided her more than we could ever give her..."

He trailed off, not knowing what to say to an unresponsive tree that did nothing but hang on to it's pine needles and branches possessively. So he smiled at the towering pine tree and left.

* * *

"My brothers and I are having a pickup line contest in a few days," Luke told the tree, leaning on it almost lovingly. "But since I didn't know who to practice on and I didn't want to freak out Annabeth because... Well she'd stomp me in the nuts or something in a sisterly way... So I came here because you're the only girl who I..."

Luke was silent for at least three minutes as he thought of how to pickup a girl. He knew some pickup lines from memory but didn't want to do a disgusting one like 'if you were a booger I would pick you up,' or a cheesy one like 'did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?' (It was a Greek camp after all...)

"Okay, well..." It was slightly uncomfortable, but he continued. "Are you a pine tree? Because, babe, I'm pining after you."

He watched as a bushel of pine needles promptly fell on his head, and a giggle erupted. His eyes wide and hopeful, he turned to the sound, because it was so familiar, so feminine, so... Annabeth.

The girl who he considered his little sister bounded from the opposite side of the tree, giggling slightly as she showed herself. The wise daughter of Athena, emphasis on wise was clutching her lithe body with racking sobs of happiness.

Very wise indeed.

Striding over, he picked her up, tickling her sides while she laughed even more, shrieking while he spun her around and the tree branches swayed as if it was laughing as well. When he got too dizzy, he landed her gently on the soft grass.

"Eavesdropper," he accused after the laughter subsided but still came in short bursts.

"Am not!" Annabeth defended, before pointing at her spot behind the tree. "I was here first, you just didn't notice it!"

It was times like these when she acted her age, Luke duly noted before ginning mischievously. "So what were you doing Miss. Eavesdropper? Raking pine needles?"

"They only fall in the fall," Annabeth pointed out but remained silent after that.

Luke knew fully well of why she was there by herself. She missed Thalia, as did he. So they sat together, huddled side by side with a brotherly arm slung across her shoulder like when they did when they were younger and so very cold.

Except the sun was shining, but he heard no complaints. Eventually, Annabeth's head tilted to look at him, a grin seemingly to permanently encase her face.

"Pining after you?" She asked, before laughter took control of her speaking capabilities.

He sighed, shaking his head before ruffling her blond curls and properly messing it up. She was too busy with heaving her shoulders and breathing for breaths too care. But then again, she cared very little for combing her hair so the difference was little.

"You come up with something better," he challenged, before faltering. "I'm going to lose against my two younger brothers." He turned to Annabeth and shook her shoulders, his eyes crazed. "Help me, Annie!"

She rolled her eyes. "You're the dude. I'm the girl, which means I'm the one who's supposed to hear them, not make them up. But of course, there are exceptions to that- but I'm not making any pickup lines for you!"

"I'm hurt," he mock cried, before flopping down on the grass. "I'm dead."

Annabeth kicked him in the side so that he rolled down the hill like a corpse. When he thunked at the bottom, she called out: "No, you're not!"

Being the son of Hermes, when he attacked her, it was all a blur, but in the end, they both lay silently in the grass in front of the pine tree that held the soul of their fallen friend.

"I heard you were a punk rocker along with you friend, but don't worry, I won't rock her instead I'll rock you tonight."

Annabeth sputtered out incoherent words. "That's not even a pickup line! That's an... Innuendo that doesn't even make sense!"

So maybe it didn't, but Luke raised his eyebrows at the tree suggestively, adding to the comedic effect, while Annabeth howled with laughter.

In the end, he didn't feel the slightest bit ridiculous of using pickup lines on a tree, because to him, it was Thalia Grace.

* * *

Luke was alone. He had a backpack slung across both his shoulders and he looked at tree in comfort.

"I'm going on my first quest today," he told her softly, though his tone held nothing but slight bitterness. "But it's nothing more than a cheap imitation of copying Hercules. I'm supposed to get an apple from this garden. I don't know if it's worth it. What's the point of leaving for a quest that doesn't have anything feat worthy because someone has already done it? And it's a solo quest. So Annabeth won't come with me, even if she wanted to. It's not safe for her there anyway."

He gave out a long sigh, before walking out the border, looking back. "Keep Annie safe, won't you, Thals?"

The tree branches swayed as if doing the moonwalk.

* * *

"So I'm back looking like Scarface," was the first thing Luke told the listening tree when he got back. "I failed, Thals, and I've got this damn reminder of my failure that'll last with me for my whole life."

He was quiet for a while, taking in the solitude. Not before long, a girl with a messy ponytail came running up to him. All he could see was blond curls and the blue sky and... black spots.

"Annie, breathing... is important... to survive... y'know?" Luke said when the blond terror crushed his going-to-be-dysfunctional lungs.

"Sorry," Annabeth stated, not sorry at all. She grinned at him forlornly. "I just... Missed you..."

"What happened to the road of becoming independent, huh?" Luke teased as she joined him and the tree.

"What happened to you?" Annabeth blanched, ignoring the question and noticing the scar.

"There was this really evil cat and... Okay well the cat was actually a dragon..."

Annabeth poked it, cringing apologetically when he winced. "You'll survive," she said cheerfully.

"Oh, jolly," he said sarcastically. "You're becoming just like Thalia now. She used to be all bark and bite. Now, she's just all bark."

The pinecones that rained down on his head coincidentally and the punch he received was something she later claimed as 'girl power.'

* * *

"I cone differ with the supposed bad guys anymore, Thalia." And since he knew she was always clueless with his jokes, he explained to the unhappy tree. "Get it? You're part of the conifer trees? And I cone differ?"

That was usually when he was ignored for the rest of the day or punched somewhere. But now all he could feel was the air breezing around him and dead silence.

"I know I should be happy here, but I'm not. I don't understand the Gods, Thalia..."

The pine needles made a rustling sound as the branches swayed violently- trying to express itself.

"I'm just trying to beech out to you," Luke said, resting his hand on the bark. His eyes narrowed. "But I can see you don't understand. No one does. I thought you would, Thals, I really did. I remember our late night talks when Annabeth was sleeping and we would talk about the Gods freely."

He let out a crazed shaky laugh as he reminisced a trip down memory lane, before hitting his head on the trunk lightly. He did that a few times, as if it would shake away all thoughts of evil and clear his mind but the only thing it gave him was a headache.

"I know you're loyal to your roots Thalia, but I... I can't do this anymore... I've done some heavy thinking and I'm going to do it. I-I'm sorry." Instead of sitting in front of the tree like every other day when he confessed something, he couldn't bear to be near the tree.

He ran all the way back down to his cabin as if Thalia had given him the look of disappointment.

* * *

"A new camper arrived today," Luke told the tree. "He lost his mother after Hades sent the Minotaur after him." He sighed. "Gods. Must be a pretty powerful camper huh? Of course, it would've been easier to know how powerful if he was actually _claimed._"

All the while his voice grew bitter and dejected, his hatred of the Gods growing like his height. He could feel his confidence growing and he spoke up again, not afraid to fight for what he believed in anymore.

"I swore my allegiance y'know?" He said casually. "To Kronos. He's going to rise and overpower the Gods like they deserve. He's going to take them like they took you. Like they took that boy's mother. I'm certain that this is the right thing, Thals, and I don't care if you don't sapport me. Not anymore."

There was no reaction from the tree except a certain stillness that could best any statue.

* * *

"The Gods are going to take Annabeth from me too, Thals," Luke said, finally expressing his fear. "She's finally going on a quest that she wanted to go on since she was seven. But she's twelve now. She's just becoming a teenager but she's just like a woman, Thals."

He could feel himself smiling despite himself feeling the fear that the girl he considered his little sister might die.

"The quest is for them to search for Zeus' lightning bolt- but the thing is Thals," he leaned in closer and whispered, "I did it. Stole it, I mean. It's the biggest thing I've done for Kronos so far and I don't know what to feel."

The tree didn't know what to feel either because it didn't react. Luke sighed before standing up and leaving without a goodbye.

* * *

"I'm going to be discovered soon," Luke whispered hastily, but still found the time to sit down. He looked around warily. "I'm leaving this Camp forever. Annabeth doesn't need me, I think she's found her Prince Charming... Except I poisoned Prince Charming, but he... Don't tell anyone but I made sure to do it in a place full of water. Annabeth needs this guy in her life- she doesn't need me anymore. And you don't either."

Luke stared at the tree one last time before he left.

* * *

It was only a few months later before he found himself back again, accompanied by two of his goons who he asked to remain back so he could have his private time.

He sat down in front of the tree preparing the needle with the poison except this time he was sitting outside the border.

"Gods, things have changed, huh Thals?" Luke said, making small talk as he inserted the poison in the circular tube carefully. "Except you. But you will, if all things go well. And when it does, I'll get you a pint cone we agree on that?"

Taking a deep breath, he injected the needle deep in the tree and as the poison inserted itself deep in the roots, he choked out a shaky sob as he made to kill his best friend that he loved.

When he finished, he threw the empty needle in a plastic bag and gathered up his courage to smile sadly at the soon to be dying tree. Before he left, he turned right to stare at the tree intently, and he could imagine electrifying blue eyes staring at him.

"Boy, sun isn't really my thing. I've gone to the darkness, Thalia, but I can't be your knight anymore. Just know that I'll always star at you from afar."

And the pine needles started to hail slowly as if weeping actual tears as Luke Castellan walked away for the last time.


End file.
